Carano vs Young Added To EliteXC's CBS Debut
by Robert Sargent
In what will surely be a high-impact women's bout, undefeated Gina "Conviction" Carano will battle devastating knockout artist Kaitlin Young in the latest fight added to EliteXC's debut on CBS, which will air on May 31st.
This will mark the first time that Carano finds herself in real danger of being knocked out. In Young, Carano will have her toughest test to date, by far.
Young is coming off a submission loss - the first loss of her career - in February, but burst onto the scene in November of 2007 at a BodogFIGHT/HOOKnSHOOT one-night tournament, where she viciously knocked out all three of her opponents in a combined total of less than two minutes.
Carano's Muay Thai kickboxing background generally results in her trying to keep the fight standing, where she typically has a decided striking advantage over her opponent. That will not be the case against Young, whose sheer power is matched by few, if any, female fighters at the 135-pound level.
Carano (5-0) last competed in mixed martial arts last September at EliteXC: Uprising, where she defeated Tonya Evinger by Rear Naked Choke late in the first round. Her other EliteXC appearance, at EliteXC: Destiny last February, saw her defeat Julie Kedzie by Unanimous Decision in a fight that was named Fight of the Night and brought considerable attention to female mixed martial arts.
Young (4-1) had her first professional fight last October, winning by TKO in the second round. It was the BodogFIGHT-sponsored HOOKnSHOOT one-night tournament in November that opened many eyes to her power, however, as she dispatched of Suzi Smith (in 22 seconds), Miesha Tate (in 30 seconds) and Patti Lee (in 53 seconds), all by way of vicious knockouts, to win the tournament.
Young was defeated by Sara Schneider at a BodogFIGHT event this February, losing by armbar early in the second round. The loss has motivated her to train harder, and she jumped at the opportunity to battle Carano in EliteXC. She, too, has an extensive Muay Thai background, just as Carano does.
"It's awesome that she also has a Thai boxing background; she was a pro Thai boxer before MMA," Young said. "She had a really good record in that. We're going to bang, it's going to be awesome."
This will be Young's first televised fight, as the BodogFIGHT and HOOKnSHOOT bouts did not air on television, and fireworks can be expected right from the opening bell.
This is a very dangerous fight for Carano, whose fast-tracked career could be derailed in devastating fashion if she falls victim to an early KO as most of Young's opponents have thus far. A win for Carano, however, would move her one step closer to potential battle with the top female fighter in North America today, BodogFIGHT Women's Bantamweight Champion Tara LaRosa.
Either way, the battle with Young will almost certainly be a Fight of the Night candidate.
Also announced for the EliteXC debut on CBS was a battle between former EliteXC Middleweight Champion Murilo "Ninja" Rua and ever-controversial former UFC and PRIDE competitor "The New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni. A heavyweight bout will see undefeated Brett "The Grim" Rogers take on John Murphy.
A previously-announced EliteXC Middleweight Championship bout between champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler and challenger Scott "Hand of Steel" Smith will serve as the co-main event, while Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson will battle a soon-to-be-named opponent in the final bout of the evening.
